Burned
by The Reborn Akatsuki
Summary: The Courier watched as the Mojave was purged of the corruption of the NCR, House and his families. Fires don't just burn they purify and the Mojave needed a heck of a lot of purifying. Legion Victory Fic! Rating changed to M due to content.
1. The End Game

**AN**: I don't own Fallout or any of its respective works.

Well here it is the first drabble i have put out in close to two years.

And it is just as i feared i am rusty as all hell.

Anywho random courier insights into the Legion, The Second battle for Hoover Dam, The days afterward may or may not be updated with additional chapters depends on if any one actually cares about this.

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He had given it all up, His Name, His Past, His future and even his life. He gave them in service to a man who could reforge the tattered and broken remains of the American Southwest into an empire, a civilization; He had walked the Lands of the NCR before he had arrived in the Mojave. Saw the corruption, the coming firestorm and knew it wouldn't survive, didn't want to save it, didn't even try to save it. He instead joined with the very entity seeking to destroy it utterly, Caesar's Legion.

The Old world wall was running red with the blood of Legion and NCR alike; Two separate ideologies, two flags waging war against each other perhaps for the first time since the atomic apocalypse of 2077. For hours the fighting continued, it was brutal and fast paced while the Legion outnumbered the NCR by a large margin the NCR made up for it with better equipment and more diversity in the ranks. But as more and more of the Legion Veterans joined the fray even that superiority eventually faded with the Elite Vanguard of the Painted Rock tribe leading the battle for Caesar and pushing into the interior of the dam it was only a matter of time before the structure was secured.

Oliver and Hanlon however weren't making it easy for the Legion nor the Mercenary assisting them with concentrated volleys of sniper fire the NCR Rangers were dropping Legionaries like flies with every barrage. Combine that with the sheer number of the opposing troopers and their firepower and it was a bloody affair for all involved but it only delayed the inevitable by the time the Courier Clad in his black Legionary Duster even stepped into the visitor Center the exterior of the dam was secured, the roads blocked there would be no escape, no reprieve for the doomed forces of the bear there.

As the Courier observed the fighting within the dam interior in silence; he noted with some grim satisfaction that even though the NCR troops here were doomed they continued to fight on, it was an inspiring sight to behold indeed. There was nothing better then finally finding a foe worthy of his Wrath and so the man who survived the trials and intrigues of the Sierra Madre, won the war for Zion, prevailed over the scientific horrors of the big empty and confronted a traitor in the heart of the Divide joined the fray and the Legion began to cut through its enemies with even more alacrity.

The last defenders of Oliver gave way and the Courier and General exchanged brief pointless words, The Courier knew what the Mojave needed and the General represented something that was only a cancer to the world. "Freedom", "Democracy" and "Equality" at the end of the day they were only words after all. There would be no resolution, no peace between the two factions and therefore it was just prudent to remove all traces it over rather then have it linger to infect the Legion with its taint.

The General Fled surrounded by his surviving forces, The Courier pursued hell bent on ending the NCR in the Mojave once and for all. Oliver was the key, He led the men, paid the men and like the dead president would become a symbol of the Legion triumph within the region in the years to come. The Courier fell into the retreating NCR with no abandon, striking at them with blade, bullet and explosive in a torrent of destruction.

As his last defenders fell, The General himself emerged engaging his attackers with his own determination and will; But the General was a soft man, not broken and reforged in the fires of hell like the Courier and their exchange was brief. As the General's head fell away from his shoulders in a shower of blood the Courier stared at the corpse of the Leader of the NCR forces in silence for a moment before turning away. With a grimace he kicked the severed head of the fallen general out of his way and backtracked the way he had come.

He had a pressing engagement with a Legate after all.

The Battle was won; The NCR was completely routed at the dam, Lanius and Caesar's Victory assured. With the NCR's strength broken they were scurrying across the Wastes towards their outpost and the roads back to their heartland, despite it being glazed over in a field of radioactive glass. Never the less the Courier doubted the campaign was over entirely, with their retreat blocked by the fires of radiation some within the NCR no doubt would remain in their strong-point's and possibly be an issue in the coming days but today was a day of celebration, of Victory and he didn't bother the Legate with his musings.

The Dam reeked of charred flesh and to the Courier there was something symbolic about that, Fire purified the world and allowed this flag to rise, now fire was purifying the corpses of the fallen Legionaries, As the Courier watched as the Legionaries covered their fallen brothers in pitch and over flammable adhesives before setting them aflame. There were dozens, perhaps hundreds that had died to make this victory possible and while the NCR no doubt had suffered if not as many losses more the Courier couldn't help but stare with minor unease as the NCR's two headed bear was replaced by the Legion Bull upon the flagpole.

This Culture, These people, These ideas, ideologies, it was alien, A Throw back to a manner of thinking that had saw the world united, And Unification the Courier viewed was ultimately something he could fight for, die for if the need for it arose. As the smoke rose higher and higher into the sky the Courier couldn't help but watch as Legion formations marched continuously from the dam towards the west, Hundreds, Thousands of them streaming from the Arizona crossing, Recruit Legionaries, Novices with their bright crimson Uniforms, Veteran Centurions their armor glittering with all its mismatched pieces, Standard Bearers, The Flag of the Legion waving proudly as they marched.

This moment in history had ended, this tale was done and yet the Courier wasn't overly concerned about where the next one would take him, This war was all but won and wouldn't last much longer with the Bear's strength broken here; Perhaps he would take part in the future conquest of his old homeland, He didn't utterly care if he did or didn't but he would serve if summoned.

He owed the Legion his life after all, His purpose.

As the Mojave Burned under the Legion banner it was reformed through the crucible of a new and ever present regime. Unlike its Predecessors; Mr. House and his families and the NCR the Legion concerned it self with not only the center of the territory, New Vegas but the other outlying settlements. Order was rapidly established, Security was established and Enforced, Vices were destroyed and while some fought and died for the most part it appeared that the people of the Mojave were while unhappy with the Legion's occupation were willing to accept it for reality.

This pleased him; In time he knew they would come to see it as he did, The future hope of their species, of Humanity in perhaps its entirety. If some sacrifice was needed to secure it he would give it with out question. This society was dictated to serve the collective, not individual greed and for that he could see something unique.

It was alien and yet so beautiful at the same time.

Days after the battle he was honored by Caesar himself; He was given immortality of a sort the second outsider in Legion History to be honored upon its coinage. His Lord assured him that if he was needed in the future he would call upon him.

The March of the Bull was an ever increasingly common sight; Armed and armored legionaries patrolled, Raiders were eradicated wherever they were encountered, Towns scoured for potential legionaries, slaves and potentially useful persons; Those that resisted were killed, those that fled were put upon crosses for cowardice and those that refused were enslaved. This society while not perfect was not the hell on earth that the NCR portrayed it as.

Life continued, New Vegas was refounded into the Legion's new capital replacing flagstaff back in Arizonia.

He didn't miss the Alcohol or Drugs, and with the trade routes opened with Arizona goods were flooding the markets of the Mojave with cheap and affordable merchandise, food shortages were disappearing, poverty was fading and life was regaining a stability it had lacked in this region since perhaps the great war or maybe even further back.

He wasn't Legion and yet at the same time he was legion, He considered the legionaries his brothers and oddly enough it seemed many of them returned the feeling; He was like the people of the Mojave, not in service to the Legion and yet living among them. And yet he was different in every other way, He didn't miss the past life of the Mojave, House had run his corrupt little empire into the ground drinking off the greed of the NCR.

To him life should be measured by more then just a testament of wealth and now those days were ended. In it's place stability was enforced, Peace was enforced and culture was enforced. Freedom had corrupted this new world as much as it had the old one before it. If people must be slaves to see that, so be it.

After all Slavery was a principle the Legion was intimately familiar with.

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Well what did you think?

Decent? Horrible? Confusing?

Drop a review and tell me how horribly i bungled my first story in two years! ^.^

And also tell me if this is worth continuing or not.


	2. Memories of Victory

Well, Well reviews within the first six hours of a posting well normally I don't write strictly for reviews but I must admit I am pleased its garnered positive attention. Its nice to come back and still see people appreciate it when folks write.

Well here is chapter two

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The Immediate aftermath of the victory of the Legion at hoover was felt nowhere quite as hard as Vegas, an oasis of civilization in a desert filled with dangers and barbarity. With the Courier's assistance both the White Glove Society and the Omerta's were in position to not only aid the legion in the conquest of the strip but also prepare it for their initial take over.

Bombs, Bullets and poison gas saw scores of people die within minutes of the initial attack; and above the smoke and flames a single sight was visible through out the city; The Lucky 38 once the seat of House, Warlord of Vegas, CEO of the Strip and many other titles he anointed himself with.

The Lucky 38 Once a monument to Human greed, the greatest of the Pre War casino's of Vegas; Now it was a palace. A monument to the Legion and it's Caesar; When the Legion had entered the strip scant resistance was offered by surviving NCR troopers and military police but the Omerta's operation racket had removed much of the hostile opposition on the strip from the Legion's path.

Chlorine bombs and conventional explosives reduced much of the Top's and NCR embassy to flaming rubble and mounds of corpses hours before the Legion ever arrived in force. Chaos reigned in the streets, looting, raping and pillaging took place but it was all ended by the arrival of the Legion, with the Legion in command of the dam and thus much of the territory a new banner hoisted over New Vegas. A golden bull on a field of crimson flew over the city, Armored legionaries secured the entirety of the strip and begun construction of fortifications and seizing locations that would be valuable as Barracks, Rallying Points and Command Centers.

Including these was of course the newly opened Lucky 38; The Courier watched as Caesar himself entered the Strip, The tattered and worn duster that had served him during the assault on the dam needed to be mended as did his wounds but those could dealt with later today wasn't about him. The living God strolled through the strip, observing the crucifixes already aligning both sides of the roadway, surviving NCR Forces had already been captured and given judgment long before the Lord of the Legion arrived. Veteran Legionaries at his side, The Legate himself stood a respectable distance from his Lord while Vulpes continuously leaned no doubt giving his Master status updates and reports from his vast spy network as soon as they came in.

The Courier silently fell into the procession, The Praetorian accompanying their Lord didn't even bat an eye at him as he did so; Of course why would they? He had saved Caesar in a way, while it was true he didn't perform the critical surgery to remove Caesar's brain tumor himself he had provided a medical specialist more then capable of doing so. The Courier allowed himself to drift into the thought as the accompanying Legionaries Multiplied; Arcade Ganon. The Blond was an enigma to the Courier, his father had fought and died with a group supposedly extending all the way back to the prewar American government and yet Arcade had never sought to find a connection to his father through that group?

He still recalled his first meeting with the educated man of medicine; His surprise at the man knowing Latin to the extent he had even thought he could have been a follower of Caesar…The irony made the courier grin slightly but the positive facial expression faded quickly as the memories continued to burden him.

Countless treks through the wastes, overcoming perils together, arguing over philosophy, ethics and ideology, Uncovering his history, Tracking down the Remnants, Convincing them to fight for their old enemies the NCR, Arcade deciding to continue to aid the Courier and the people of Freeside rather then fighting alongside his father's old comrades, taking him to the Fort…Selling him to the Legion for just ten pieces of Gold.

He mused on that as he recalled Ulysses own words "Twenty nine fewer coins…" He spat to the side ending his recollection with a violent grimace. "If only you knew traitor…" He spoke near mutely, his voice barely heard over his own breathing. The Procession was now on its way back through the strip and the Courier again resumed listening as the Legate and Vulpes competed for their masters favor offering solutions, Resolutions and promising success.

To the Courier although it wasn't his place to voice it, It ultimately mattered little what the Legion did to surviving members of the Chairman, NCR or other Legion combatants within the strip. With the monorail to McCarran already disabled the survivors on the strip had nowhere to flee, even now occasionally short barks of gunfire broke out momentarily before being silenced.

As the assembly rounded the strip and finally made it's way back to the Lucky 38 the Courier notice that in front of the massive tower stood a simple stage hastily constructed; No doubt the Lord Caesar wished to deliver a speech to his assembled entourage along with his Legionaries and what better place to do it then the site of the second victory of the day?

The Courier thought back to Kimball, his speech and subsequent death; His eyes scanned the crowd but all he could see was a sea of red, the Legion had finally arrived in force to the strip although there was little point now that the dam was won.

This was just a matter of occupation though the Courier thought, the Legion was instilling a sense of its military power to the surviving inhabitants and showing the world the strip was theirs. His eye caught his Lord gesturing at him to follow and he gave a curt simple nod as reply as his body moved at the command. As the Courier accompanied his Lord alongside Vulpes and Lanius, The Masked Legate still had his fearsome blade perched atop his back still stained brownish red from the scores of enemies he had personally killed and executed at the dam. Vulpes for his part hadn't participated in the battle directly although he had seen fit to prevent several sabotage attempts by the NCR to cripple the dam before it fell into Legion Hands, it would do no good to lose the main power supply point in the territory, Caesar wanted it to supply Flagstaff, Denver, Tucson among others and with out a suitable power grid then those cities would still be reliant upon their own crudely forged measures.

Despite the massive Legion presence the entire scene was eerily silent; They all stood at attention, ram rod straight facing their Lord as he assumed his place at the front of the stage and raised an arm into the air to signify he was going to speak.

Ad me haec nova Roma locus! (I declare this place to be our new rome)

The result among the assembled Legionaries was near earth shattering; For long brutal years campaigning had finally resulted in what every one in the Legion from Caesar to a newly minted novice Legionary wanted. Victory had come, The Empire was reality.

The resounding cheer was deafening even the battle hardened ears of the Courier and he even thought he saw his Lord Show pain through his domineering smirk. He silenced the cheers with a single movement his arm and spoke again.

"Tonight I declare for the Legion, Victory is ours; Take women to your bed, Enjoy the screams of the NCR and look forward to the continued conquest! The NCR is crumbling, Their Army Broken and someday, And someday soon I swear to you all upon the bull we will take California from them!"

The Cheer while less resounding then the initial one was still massively loud, You couldn't cram near on a thousand Legionaries into a single street and work them into such a frenzy with out the noise level being immense after all.

With his speech concluded the Lord of the Legion gave a single glance to the Courier had nodded to follow after the man into the interior it self of the Lucky 38. The Two men weren't accompanied, no doubt Caesar had spoken to both his Legatus and Vulpes to ensure that this was a private conversation, the broken husks of two securitrons still smoked and occasionally sparked on the dusty casino floor the Leader of the Legion and the former Courier spoke for the first time since he had been sent out to engage the NCR at the dam.

"The Mojave is mine." Caesar stated simply; There wasn't anything more to it, The only other people that could have held the Mojave together besides Caesar were either dead or in retreat.

"Indeed It is my Lord." The Courier offered.

"I can't believe that corpse House thought this "Casino" Was to be his fortress." The Lord of the Legion stated pointedly with a sneer.

The Courier only offered a slight shrug of his shoulders, unsure of how to reply.

"Though I suppose it is the most impressive of the surviving structures, and if I recall correctly Vulpes said you had quarters here yes?" The Lord of the Legion inquired.

"That is true my Lord." The Courier stated, while it was true he was given a suite by upon his initial visit to the strip so long ago he rarely used although it had been a final rallying point for his comrades before the assault on the dam begun.

"So be it" Was Caesar's reply.

"My lord?" The Courier intoned.

"This will be my command center and palace within the city, it likely has the finest quarters available, it's a convenient position to garrison troops and coordinate logistics." The Lord of the Legion explained which was a rarity in and of it self, Caesar rarely explained commands and only expected them to be carried out.

"It will also be useful to have my most useful asset in the Mojave under the same roof…But enough of this, Go enjoy yourself, Have your fill of the Slaves; We will speak of a proper reward for your service to the Legion tomorrow."

"My Lord." Was the Courier's simple reply as he gave a short bow of the head before turning about and exiting the Lucky 38.

So apparently now he was sharing living space with the Warlord of the Mojave…Oddly enough he doubted Arcade would approve.

The thought brought a rare smile to his wind chapped lips.

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Author's Note: Well to answer one reviewer asked question I will indeed include mentions of the Courier's companions, and I also plan to include mentions of other prominent characters such as the Joshua Graham, Surviving NCR officers and etc

I will also go further into detail explaining why the Courier ultimately sided with the Legion and what I picture it would be like living under the Bull for a few years once the conquests and battles have stopped.

Anywho pleased that this fic wasn't just forgotten about the second I decided to upload it.

Also I apologize for any fluent Latin speakers given this came off of Google Translate…Yeah I am about eight years removed from High School Latin Class so…yeah ^_^''


	3. The Night of the Legion

**AN**: I obviously don't own Fallout or any of its associated products, if I did then the Legion would have been a far more comprehensive faction then as it appeared in New Vegas; I actually would have implanted a good deal of the Sawyer lore into game.

Alright well folks here is what you all have been waiting for!

Chapter three of burned!

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**February 6th 2282**

**The day following the second battle of Hoover Dam**

**New Vegas (Renamed Rome)**

The night of the battle was one filled with Celebration, Joy and completeness for the first time in years the Legion engaged in revelry. From its days of origin in the sandy flatbeds of Arizona to its conquest of flagstaff until this moment it had been an army on the march. Engaging in conquest after conquest; 86 Tribes had encountered the Legion, and 86 had fallen along the way to become Legion.

Tonight however was celebration, the honoring of comrades still standing and those who had gone to Mars in service to his son; Caesar had permitted it to be such and so it was. While Legion Celebrations lacked the consumption of alcohol and narcotics it did allow the singing of battle hymns, the taking of the fairer sex and loud and blusterous stories of conquest. For tonight and likely tonight only the Legion was permitted a day not in service to their Lord or the Legion it self but to acknowledge the greatness of their victory.

No one was except from partaking of course Caesar himself, but he did make several periodic appearances in which he delivered either a speech or gave commands to several nearby Legionaries to escort another slave to his quarters the refurbished Penthouse floor of the Lucky 38. Apart from the Lord of the Legion, The Legatus Lanius made only a singular appearance not to engage in the revelry but to merely stare at the assembled Legionaries, as if to find fault or weakness within them. After the first visit he didn't return. For the Legion's foremost Spy master and Head of the Frumentarii: Vulpes Inculta. He for his part spent the entirety of the night in plain view with his men and among the Legion.

The Courier joined his brothers in their celebration; Speaking of his own experiences and victories in the Mojave and elsewhere, the utter razing of camp forlorn hope, the destruction of the Mojave Chapter of the Brotherhood Steel…The assassination of Aaron Kimball. Through out the night the Courier drifted from the Massive Bonfires constructed in the middle of the streets of New Vegas to the individual Campfires; While the Ultra Luxe and Gomorrah had both been seized rapidly by the Legion to serve as barracks for the massive host Caesar had arrived with hours before hand many Legionaries had constructed makeshift camps through out the city due to the lack of space.

The Celebration roared onward; But the Courier while exhilarated by the sheer mass of it; Felt it best to continue his rounds around the Strip, occasionally being dragged into another campfire to share stories of conquest or to bed another slave, He allowed this to occur, for tonight it wasn't for him. It was for the Legion and he would partake in their customs of victory, Let the hell of the Mojave wait for another day, Let reality wait for another day.

The celebration and noise slowly tapered off, even in sobriety and celebration the Legion was a military body first and foremost and the Celebrating ended fairly uniformly; soon the noise vanished shortly before 2 am. However in it's place the slow gasps and wheezes of the wounded Legionaries filtered in, Much like the Legionaries forced to make camps in the city it self rather then share the accommodations of the captured Casino's with the Legionary Officers and Veterans the wounded for the most part had been relegated to makeshift field hospitals being tended to by the few spare legionary Medics and Slaves.

The Courier however maintained his own quarters within the city, the suite given to him by the now deceased ; as he strolled into the Lucky 38 the Mercenary of the Legion noted with approval that four Legionary Veterans guarded the interior of the Casino. Their scarred and pitted armor revealed two as Secondary Centurions and the others as Veteran Primus Legionaries. Assault rifles and other weaponry cradled by them guarding the approach to their Lord.

However at them they merely gave a slight bowing of the head, a show of dereference for the one who bore both the mark of their Lord, and carried his favor. They part with out a murmur as he clambered into the ancient elevator and watched as the gauge showed the elevators ascent to the President Suite level. When the doors parted to reveal the level it was no surprise to him that it was entirely vacant, the Floor was it was before the Legion remained his.

With out a word the courier began to remove his garments, the soiled and worn duster fell to the floor, his sweat stained undershirt rapidly followed it as he kicked off his worn and muddied boots as he crawled into the luscious material of the prewar queen size bed and rapidly fell into a deep dreamless slumber of exhaustion and contentment.

The Courier was pulled from sleep by the sound of approaching the Legionaries, the telltale rattle of their weapons and armor clear in his ears; his hand instantly falling to its side to grip his hip holster containing a rather weathered 10mm pistol; While his arsenal was wide and diverse the trusty sidearm never the less was among his favorite choices for dispatching close range threats. However once it became clear that the Legionaries were merely awaiting his presence to deliver whatever message they had came to.

He pushed himself out the bed stood straight as he approached the Legionaries before giving them his command.

"Prepare to report as soon as I have dressed." He stated simply; his casual authority had returned along with his expectation of his orders being followed, the Legionaries for their part merely awaited the Courier as he redonned his Duster. His scarred and marred flesh visible in the fluorescent lighting of the room. The Courier's Torso was a roadmap of the brutality of the wasteland, acid burns from the Cloud of the Sierra Madre, Bullet, Shrapnel and knife wounds, the scars from the forced removal of his organs by the Think Tank of the Big Empty. But the most pronounced of his wounds were hidden by dirty corn silk blond hair, two scars that had been formed by the removal of two slugs of lead by a doctor in good springs.

Blood oozed slowly from several wounds acquired in the battle the other day, bullet wounds and fragmentation burns from grenade detonation peppered the hardened and surgically enhanced body of the Courier. He hadn't gone to see one of the medics or slaves during the celebration simply because they had dozens if not hundreds of legionaries to treat, he had medical implants and advanced prewar technologies embedded into his very body that prevented him from dying easily. He could let the injuries linger a little while longer, his only true worry was sepsis; the rarity of antibiotics in the wastes was legendary.

When the Courier finished dressing he sent a single glance to the Legionaries before giving them a nod to give their message.

"Lord Caesar wishes to speak you at your soonest Availability. He waits for you in his quarters in the Penthouse; they shall expect your arrival." The Legionary informed before he and his compatriots turned about and exited the room before promptly getting in the elevator no doubt to return to their normal duties.

"I'll be there." The Courier murmured to no one.

Well while he feared not death, nor pain he did fear failure and he wouldn't fail Caesar; he wouldn't live the man waiting. As he pulled his newly reassembled 12.7 Submachine gun and slid it silently into his shoulder harness before walking into the vacant hall once more, his dull Bull duster swaying as he clambered into the elevator and watched the meter as the levels slowed until the penthouse was reached and the doors opened revealing the apex of the tower.

The clear windows had been closed, the Titanium armoring had been lowered and in place of the clear view of the surrounding city of Vegas banners of the Legion hung. As the Courier Descended down the stair case approaching the monitor room where until just months ago had spoken to him when he had required his services until he had been killed.

Now the Overly large monitor console was gone and in its place stood a familiar throne, Seated upon it the Lord of the legion at his left stood the silent and menacing Lanius and to his right was Vulpes his master of spies and informants.

The Courier gave a respectful bow of the head before approaching Caesar and speaking his intent clearly.

"My lord I am here just as requested."

The eyes of the leaders of the Legion were upon him for a solid minute before Caesar deigned to speak with him.

"I trust you enjoyed last nights Celebration?"

"I did indeed." The Courier responded.

"I told you that today you would be rewarded for your services to me, to the Legion and I wasn't being false you shall be rewarded. All those who made this day possible shall be rewarded; the Omerta's, The White Glove Society, and the Great Khans shall be given their rewards…A place within my Legion, A place in the new order of the Mojave."

Caesar reached to the side of the throne before pulling forth a bottle of what appeared to be purified water and downing the majority of it before tossing it aside with a grimace.

"Lake Mead's water tastes like Big Horner piss…" The Lord of the Legion muttered with obvious distaste.

"Anyway I shall present you your own reward in a ceremony later today, until then we have business to discuss before you are recognized for your service."

The Courier didn't respond, he didn't know what his ultimate fate would be, what his ultimate reward would be but he knew that it was best to merely go along with whatever Caesar suggested, ordered or directed him to do. He had no choices not to obey anymore, he had made his choice, this was his life now for better or worse.

He gave a firm nod and the Lord of the Legion took that as key to resume his directives.

"First off; There is the NCR presence still within the Mojave to contend with, due to the destruction of the Long 15 those still within the Mojave have no where to flee to, those at Golf, McCarran and the various outposts will be destroyed systematically, brutally and as fucking ruthlessly as possible else they will contest the region for years and I refuse to share this land with those fuckers for one more second."

"I am placing you in charge of the efforts at displacing the ranger outposts from here to the dam, Kill them, Capture them, get them to surrender, whatever don't care how it happens. Get it done."

"My Lord." Was the Courier's response.

"But be ready to move out with my main host; I have assembled a taskforce of two cohorts to be divided twelve centuriae for the main assault upon Camp Golf, I have heard through Vulpes that the NCR's final remaining commander of note…Chief Hanlon is still there directing the remaining NCR strength at the base. I will be directing the battle myself, Lanius will be taking the remaining Cohort within Vegas to smash the NCR at McCarran within one string of battles the NCR will be obliterated in the Mojave. We can then pick off the survivors in the days to come."

Lanius actually seemed to deflate a bit from the Courier's perspective; no doubt he viewed Caesar's own assignment as vastly more impressive given that if the information Vulpes had gleaned was as accurate as usual. Perhaps the best strategist in the entirety of the NCR was there directing the defense. He as usual he served with out complaint or question he was the very model of an effective legionary.

"Sound plan my lord but might I voice a question?"

The lord of the Legions eyes seemed to narrow at the very mention of "question" but never the less he nodded giving his assent for the question to be asked.

"What is to be done with the rangers should they surrender?" The Courier questioned given he had no idea how he was supposed to march a dozen or more captive rangers back to new Vegas for processing into slaves or to be executed.

The Lord of the Legion however had an answer ready for him. His eyes seemed to take on a brighter hue in the florescent lighting his mouth twisted into a fearsome predatory grin.

"Kill them even more painfully for cowardice; gun them down in the fucking dirt. I only honor the foes worthy to the son of Mars with the presence of death from the Legion. Those Rangers are worthy foes to die by your own hands as an instrument of the Legion. But not through my own hand." The Lord of the Legion informed him curtly.

And with that he was dismissed, he turned about after giving another short bow and quickly remade his way through the Penthouse before climbing the stairs and entering the elevator once again.

He hadn't seen Arcade at Caesar's side, he briefly wondered where the former follower and now slave resided, no doubt he was here within the Lucky 38, But perhaps it was best to put off such thoughts for the moment, He had a battle to prepare for and more NCR to kill after all.

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Well there you go Chapter three!

Worth the wait? Not worth the wait? I am personally leaning to not but given I am both a procrastinator and hater of basically everything I have ever wrote I consider less then perfect its no surprise.

Oh and expect to see a few familiar faces in the next chapter!

Anyway see you next time!

^.^

-Reborn Akatsuki


	4. The First Assault

**AN**: As per usual I don't own Fallout

Well alrightie then here is chapter four; must say I am a little bit confused; Chapters are getting plenty of views, no follows or reviews though for the most part. Never the less as I said before I don't write merely for reviews but I have to say I was expecting just a tad bit more attention by this point but alas it doesn't seem to be going that way.

Anyway to the meat of the subject you may have noticed the changing of the rating from T to M and the reasoning for this will become evident in both this and later chapters after all this a post Legion victory fic so things will descend to a dark place and the Courier will be swept along with it as per usual.

Got to warn you folks by far the longest chapter and a bit of Courier OP'ness is within, You all have been warned!

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**February 7th 2282**

**Rome**

**9:57 AM**

As the Courier exited the elevator passing through the guards once more he stopped dead in his tracks as a slave was escorted towards the very way he had come. The Lab coat was more mired and dirty and now sported the large Legion X marking the wearer as property an addition since when he had last saw it, the blond hair more disheveled then he had ever seen it before but the familiar face, looks and body? It had to be Arcade Ganon a former companion, one he had betrayed for the betterment of the wastes…

"Hold Legionary…" The Courier reluctantly informed him as he stepped forward, The Legionary obeyed as was expected and when he came into sight the slave he had identified went rigid. No doubt Arcade remembered their prior interaction when he had told him quite pointedly that the Wasteland needed Caesar more then it needed him, blunt truth in his own eyes.

Arcade obviously hadn't and still didn't see it that way though.

"You." He spat.

"Me." He confirmed before dismissing the Accompanying Legionary with a curt "leave us." And wave of the hand, He had led men in battle, commanded the men of the Legion, his will was to be obeyed as long as he served that interest and with obvious frustration the Legionary gave a stiff nod of the head and skulked off into the Casino.

"Is there anything you require…my lord?" Arcade ground out bitterly, frustration and grief leaking its way into his tone.

The tension between them was both obviously overbearing and awkward but the Courier didn't know how to resolve that issue as of yet but he could offer Arcade some advice.

"Keep Caesar alive as long as possible…you don't' want to be in the Legion or anywhere near it the moment Lanius takes his place on the Throne, The man is a warrior and would rule as a warrior and not as a general."

"So keep him alive…I am counting on you for this Arcade.

"Why does it matter which Tyrant sits on the throne?!" Arcade all but screamed at the Courier.

The Courier just let a sad sigh run through his body as his shoulders shrugged.

"Arcade…It was nice seeing you." The Courier stated with mixed emotion as he walked past the Slave doctor and out into the streets of Vegas.

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**Rome**

**Two Hours later 12:00 PM**

The Lord of the Legion stood before him and around him were the assembled leaders of the Legion, no doubt brought to bear witness to the generosity of their Lord. Centurions stared him, impassive in their expressions while Caesar merely gave him a small curt smile before gesturing to the chest that the Centurions had brought before them.

The lid of the rusting military crate was pulled upwards, the paneling showering rust as the hinges were forced to move. Inside the chest was an awe inspiring sight, Money; to be specific Legion coinage. As the Courier glanced into the chest he didn't notice the normal Denarius that served as Legion currency which meant…They were all Aureus and while that meant less then it had before the Legion victory the fortune assembled before him was the largest single collection of wealth he had ever seen. (Save the Sierra Madra's vault)

"You have just become the wealthiest mercenary in the Legion." Lord Caesar stated pointedly.

"Eight Thousand Legion Aureus…but what I offer you isn't just grounded in money, I offer you immortality as well." With that another coin was presented to him except that this time the familiar visage of Caesar, the Latin lettering and the iconic moments of the Legion while there, there was also something else among something he hadn't seen before

His eyes were sharp however and he realized just what he was looking at; it was a depiction of his face, He was being given a place of honor along with the hero's and founders of the Legion. He was an outsider and yet he would forever grace their coinage.

"Thank you for this honor my Lord." The Courier stated as he bowed his head.

"But what am I to do with you?" Caesar interjected, musing aloud.

"My lord?"

"You aren't of my Legion, yet you order them, give them direction and command them in the field as if you are of it. You whom have yet to be named or given rank." He mused.

The Courier froze, his blood stilled as if frozen solid. If he had committed an offense here, this very well could be his last day on this earth. He couldn't fight off all the assembled Legionaries, He didn't have the strength or the bullets for them.

"So I grant you a name to match your purpose as the destroyer of the Legions enemies."

"In the name of Mars upon this day I name you R'Sin; Erosion, Entropy and Destruction to my and my Legion's enemies.

The Courier now newly renamed kneeled once again before rising; Like Lanius had suggested he had been given a new name for his service in battle. His old one wasn't worth the effort it was to speak, all those that knew intimately were for the most part gone for the world, the few that actually recalled it…well if he ever ran into them he would correct them on what to call him now.

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**Just outside the Ultra Luxe (Now reconverted into the Legion chief processing center at Rome)**

**An Hour and half later 1:36 PM**

He stood before the children staring down at the assembled collection; Many were thin with hunger and stared up at him with empty eyes, wizened before their time. This was to be his "task"? He let out a silent curse as he groped for his Duster's interior pocket before retrieving a pack of cigarettes; he flipped the pack up and retrieved one before placing it between his teeth.

A dented and warped prewar flint lighter emerged from his pocket next lighting the tobacco, a trail of smoke oozed from his nostrils as he exhaled the sweet aroma of his vice. As he understood the Legion while not "caring for tobacco" ultimately found nothing within it taboo considering they used several remedies made from it as well.

He stood there silently enjoying his Cigarette staring at the assembled children with a grimace, he was to decide which of these captured boys would be fit for service, It was a task delegated to him by the legion so he couldn't shirk it. He knew what this was about this was a task to test his resolve, yes he fought for the Legion, Killed for the Legion and accomplished tasks for them but would he fully embrace their culture?

That was the question at hand, would he embrace this culture? He knew what would happen to those not selected to be Legionaries, they would be killed. There was no place for the weak or feeble in this society, he steeled himself as he took another drag on his cigarette before nodding.

He pointed out one of the squirmy children, still covered in the rags the Legion had no doubt found him, he had noticed an odd gait either from a lingering or fresh injury, that obvious made him incapable of being a legionary; the physical activities would be too intensive for a cripple.

"Remove him; He is incapable of serving our Lord." He stated as his focus returned to the other children as they watched in muted horror as a single legionary hefted the boy off his feet and drug him several feet away along with two other rejected children.

Twice more he repeated this process, what had once been twelve now only nine remained, the rejected children were huddled together en mass.

"Those of you that remain must be strong, this world is ruled by the strong and weakness is something to be purged. Before today you had lives, waste and dissolution, you will be trained and forged into something better, something capable of surviving in this world. Those of you that had parents, loved ones, siblings, whatever…Forget them. Caesar is your father now, The Legion is your family and your fellow legionaries your brother."

The Assembled children and the rejected were watching as he paced about, slowly making his way around to where a Legion stood above those who had been deemed ill fitted for service.

"To be weak is to invite death, to be strong? Is to be able to serve Caesar, and to continue to breath on this earth." He then drew his 10mm pistol from its holster and leveled it at the crippled boy whom he had first declared not suitable.

"Sorry boy, nothing personal…This is just how life works now." The Courier said with a slight shrugging of his shoulders, it didn't translate well however through the thick duster and the boy just stared down the barrel of the worn and warped gun. The Courier's finger tightened on the trigger before pressing it in a solid practiced motion, a single hole appeared in the boy's forehead in a geyser of blood.

The sight of looking at the boy's corpse just slowly slump to the street, his head impacting with a sickening crack would likely be with him until his own death; But he was too instilled with experience and purpose to falter, he couldn't fault and dishonor the Legion, not when they had just given him the greatest gift he had ever been given. Self, for that he would murder this child, and the next one and the next one, and a dozen more if it would instill the lesson Caesar wanted the next generation to be taught.

With the death of one of the rejected the assembled children recoiled, some screamed and cried, some merely shook. Some asked for dead relatives, whatever their process of grief, he would cut short by leveling his pistol at the next rejected and repeating the process of execution. These boys wouldn't even be suitable for Slaves, all those he had picked out had obvious deformities or injuries preventing the intensive life style the Legion required.

By the time he came to the third boy the assembled boys knew what was to be done now, and in a muted sort of horror didn't react overly to the death of the third rejected.

"I can kill because I am strong, because I can kill I can survive. If you want to survive? If you want to be strong, Devote yourself to the days ahead and become model Legionaries." He then holstered his pistol and gave the Legionary standing at attention his leave to take the children to processing, he didn't see much potential within them but perhaps he had ignited a fire within one or two.

Only time would tell; with a grimace he pulled the half smoked cigarette from his mouth before tossing it to the ground and marching back towards the Lucky 38, he had a raid to prepare for.

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**Outskirts of Boulder Beach Camp Ground**

**Five hours later 6:42 PM**

He watched the outpost burn in the foreground, Ranger Station Alpha, He had known the commanding ranger there. Actually encountered her before on business for the NCR, He didn't care overly about killing all the Rangers personally, it was why he had stopped by the Lucky 38 after all. He had gone back to acquire some lovely and relatively rare plastic explosives.

C4, PE4, Whatever you called it, nothing matched it terms of lethality and destruction it caused. Using a provided Legion Stealth boy it was relatively simple to sneak inside the camp proper and slowly place his explosives. The command tent, Barricades, The supply tent, he spread the bombs out far enough that he was relatively sure the entire camp would go up like a match stick once he pushed the detonator.

But in his haste to get the first of the Ranger outposts out of the way he failed to do a proper headcount, he should have spied on the Rangers a while longer before moving into attack but given Caesar had ordered him to destroy all the outposts from Rome to the Dam he was going to be relatively busy until the main force marched on camp golf sometime in the near future.

Once he had pushed the stick, the explosives did their job. The supply tent went up first just as he had planned, the ammunition stockpile exploded in a hellish fire ball that likely could be seen from here to Vegas, flattening the tent and sending up a plume of smoke into the evening sky. The rest of the explosive charges went off, one by one, the Command tent was next, the main camp barricade was after that and for the finale the brick of explosive he had laid dead center in the middle of the camp erupted adding to the combustion below.

As the flames roared onward, he didn't know if one had survived that, but he knew any one in that camp was dead now. But he had successful razed the camp and thus completed a portion of the assignment Caesar assigned to him, He watched it burn for several more minutes before he turned and began walking back down the road. He likely would need to restock and resupply for the next hit, but he would run out of explosives before he ran out of outposts he would need to do something a bit more creative next time.

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**On the outskirts of Boulder City**

**Several minutes later**

The dead city had once boasted a moderate presence of NCR troopers, given its proximity to the dam even though its ruin location prevented a proper settlement it was still used due to its location.

He wasn't expecting anything even resembling resistance, the NCR had abandoned the Town the minute the dam had fallen, But given it was the Mojave and it was always wise to expect trouble he was on his guard and that was what saved his life.

A resounding crack tore through the air, he knew he was being targeted at moderate range considering that if that was a long range weapon he doubted he would have heard it before it had hit considering the traveling speed of AMR rounds.

He was roughly sent stumbling backwards; a Sickening crack from his chest from the resounding hit. While he wasn't medically competent enough to remove a brain tumor with just basic surgical supplies he realized that he had just cracked at least two ribs, the agony shooting through his body was immense. But he couldn't just focus upon that, He felt his chest before grimacing he definitely felt a rib out of place in the chest cavity, one had likely fragmented after being struck. That wasn't the worst news though, if one got too far out of place it might end up puncturing into his lungs or heart. But that hadn't happened yet.

He collapsed against a concentrate road barricade hissing in pain, blood trailing down from his duster as he slung left arm free of it revealing its scarred and marred chest before a second resounding crack was heard and he felt a second impact. He actually let out an outraged howl of agony and fury.

And it turned out his assessment with the range was correct as two familiar uniforms came into sight, Veteran Ranger black and what appeared to be a normal NCR trooper holding a service rifle with a smoking barrel. The Trooper instantly leveled the rifle at the fallen Courier but the ranger held up a gloved fist and spoke. The voice came out rasping and metallic through the Prewar Gasmask but it was understandable enough.

"Don't move or I will put you down, Legion scum." The threat hung in the air for a moment. To punctuate his point the ranger gestured to the Ranger Sequoia hanging loosely in his grasp which was pointed in his general direction.

"Not like I was going anywhere, anyway eh?" He stated with a grimace as he spat a glob of crimson from his mouth, it was never a pleasant sensation having your mouth fill with your own blood.

"So I take you both are from the Outpost I just torched? Patrolling maybe when you saw the smoke?" The Courier ventured to guess.

The silence he received only caused him grin revealing his crimson blood stained teeth before he hacked to the side. Getting shot in the chest was never a pleasant thing, the displacement and pressure on organs, the possibility of bones warping and shattering. It was just an utter pain in the ass.

"So it's true what was being said on the radio then? Vegas has fallen…The Dam has fallen." The Trooper stated as his eyes darted from the fallen courier to the direction of Vegas.

"You're that Courier who joined the Legion." The Ranger all but accused.

"…Indeed I am, But there is something else you should know."

"And what's that?" The Ranger questioned as he and the Trooper approached the downed courier warily.

"You should all be fleeing, not stopping to engage me. Radiation or no the Mojave is no place for the NCR anymore, Legion won." The Courier stated with barely concealed contempt. He had backed the winning side after all.

"We have fortified positions all across the Mojave, we have supply stockpiles and men ready to fight and die, we can resist Legion tyranny until relief forces come from California the ranger declared.

"Maybe we did lose the dam, Maybe we should pull back from the Region but you won't be living to see us turn tell and run." The Trooper added.

The Courier honestly laughed at that declaration, It hurt, it hurt so badly to laugh but he couldn't help it. The arrogance, the conceit and greed of these people!

But he had just about stalled them long enough for his little surprise to kick in. it was time to stop playing twenty questions and get on with his night.

"**The stronger the opponent the stronger I get**." The Mojave was proof that, Zion, The Sierra Madre, the Big Empty…The Divide, he faced down the trials and tribulations of each of those deathtraps and emerged stronger, reforged from it.

The Courier muttered through clenched teeth, he felt his body mending already and while the NCR trooper had managed to get two decent shots into him he could tell already they weren't overly harmful despite penetrating the armoring of his duster.

"What?" The Ranger asked incredulously as he raised his revolver and aimed it squarely between the eyes of the courier. However he didn't see the slight glimmer of metal that slid out of the right sleeve of the duster into the courier's clenched palm.

"**I do not tire**." While this was just plain psychological warfare it was truth in a way, while his body still required rest and nutrition just like baseline humans, due to several of his implants he could go far longer then any normal human could with out food or water.

He growled out as he flicked forth his wrist, the Ranger recoiled as the thrown bowie knife buried it self into the leather of his neck guard burying its razor sharp blade deep into the flesh of the Ranger as he staged back a step and then another before falling flat on his face, his helmet and armor making a rattling clack as it impacted the dusty ground. The Bowie knife normally wasn't a throwing weapon but his vast experience with spears had given him a decent amount of skill with the usage of throwing weapons and it was a simple enough exercise to apply the same concept to knives.

The Ranger gasped several times, and a pool of crimson was slowly pooling outward away from the body.

As he staggered to his feet he could see the amazement within the NCR Trooper's eyes staring at his chest which was mending it self if by divine intervention or magic. In truth? It was neither, It was the PHEONIX Monocyte Breeder activating, his body was so enhanced by technology he personally didn't even know he would consider himself human anymore, he was stronger, smarter, tougher and more agile then any normal human because he had spent a fortune getting such things. He was more then any human because of them.

"**I do not fall**." Better men had tried and died then some random goddamn Ranger and his pet Trooper. But was his life if not an existence designed to end that of others? He rarely ended a day with out ending another human's life, several times over.

The Courier ground out through gritted teeth as the ejected slug of lead was slowly pushed out the self repairing tissues. The warped 5.56 armor piercing rounds were little more then bloody balls of steel by this point as it finally fell to the dusty ground below, luckily for him the real damage done by the bullet had been the displaced bones and only the possibility of them shattering and fragmenting into his vital organs, had stayed as hand as long as it had. The wound by it self was less then nothing to his enhanced body.

The still oozing wound was visible through the hole that had been punched cleanly through the Duster as the Courier stared down the shocked NCR trooper who still glanced at the corpse of the Veteran Ranger and back to him.

"You're a goddamn abomination!" The Trooper stated in a high toned pitch clearly indicating his terror.

The Courier lunged forward his hand already going from his holstered submachine gun even as the Trooper startled from his sudden movement went to raise his rifle again. But he was faster, he already knew and given the fact the Trooper was terrified by the fact that his opponent was apparently capable of regeneration his movements were off and jerky anyway. Just as the Courier finished drawing his subgun and rammed the barrel deep into the gut of the now horrified and if the wet splotch on his pants was any indicator now pissing his pants Trooper.

"Maybe so…But I'm better then you." He then pulled the trigger and the 12.7 rounds proved once again while they were both extremely expensive and rare; they packed more then enough firepower to make up for it. Large globs of meat and crimson spurted out of the man's back as he staggered back from the sheer impact trauma, his clothing smoldering from the point blank firing and powder burn.

The Courier watched as the Trooper tried to straighten himself before just falling flat on his face unmoving, he was impressed the bastard had lasted as long as he did before the trauma from having rapid kidney removal forced him to depart

But now he that he had a moment to collect himself he stared down at his body, he had several lingering wounds that were likely to get infected and having two more wouldn't help his case any. And given that he was about half a day from Vegas he needed to act now, he dug a singular stim pack out of his sleeve and stared down at the little gauged needle.

He had sworn off these little miracles once he had begun working for the Legion, same with the Vodka he occasionally enjoyed. But given he was more use to the Legion alive then he was dead or suffering in a field tent from blood infection he pushed the little needle down roughly into his side before pushing the injector inward. The Stimpack while nothing more then ground up Xander Root and Broc Flower shoved into a needle, had many antibiotic effects and also worked as a local anesthetic.

While it wasn't a miracle drug by any means, in fact the Courier was of the mind of it merely being an improvement on Healing Powder or Bitter drink. But the Legion viewed it as taboo and thus this was his first stimpack in several injuries, he lived off of natural herbs and just generally being tougher then normal people.

With a grunt he ripped the now empty syringe from his deadened flesh and turned about and resumed walking towards Vegas, Honestly the things he did for the Legion.

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I just had to include a shameless quote from Hoshigaki Kisame :P I think it suits the Courier in that moment.

Well until next time!

-**Reborn Akatsuki**


	5. Prelude to Battle

**AN**: I do not own fallout or any of its associated products.

Well here we are people! Chapter five, in this chapter we resume the tale of the Courier in a post Legion setting. While the Dam was taken, Camp Golf yet remains along with Chief Hanlon.

Another Test for the Courier and Legion await.

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**February 7th 2282**

The Courier had accomplished one stage of his task, Ranger Camp Alpha was in ruins and all of its personal had perished, either in the firestorm he had unleashed using the prewar explosives or his own hand, The task that awaited him now however would be greater.

Caesar had ordered him destroy all the Ranger Camps from New Vegas to Hoover Dam and there were several, but he also had to be on call for the assault that was being prepared to destroy Camp Golf, not doubt the NCR was concentrating there under the Venerable Leadership of Hanlon.

He didn't know when the assault would be launched nor when it would be ready but until it was he had a task to do, but the question remained how would he destroy outposts housed and manned by Veteran NCR forces? His first target had been flattened by explosives but their rarity and expense made using them as the method for destruction of the others as impractical.

He did however his mind on the next target Ranger Station Delta, South East of Boulder city and established to watch for Legion Raiding Parties crossing the river, he had no doubt that that purpose had been abandoned given it was in a relatively low trafficked area and the men there were veterans he was unsure if they had abandoned the location or not.

If they had run then it would be considerably easier, he could merely destroy the fortifications and prevent the NCR from possibly reclaiming the area as a rally point or staging area, if they were still within it then he would kill them.

With his purpose in mind he continued to make his way through out the wastes, several times he encountered hostile wildlife that no doubt regretted him wandering into their path, Giant Mantises, Rad Scorpions, It didn't matter, he killed them all and continued on his way but due to him rapidly burning through his ammunition for his 12.7mm submachine gun he switched to dispatch the threats with his pistol.

By the time he had reached the area near where he was to go according to his pip boy map, the Sun was already rising, that would further complicate things given that he had hoped to attack at night while the majority of the Rangers if still there would be in bed.

But increased danger or no he would scout the camp. As he crept along through the bare landscape, the dusty ground beneath him occasionally kicking up dried earth and air as he moved through stealthy he noticed two things about the camp, one it definitely still had ranger presence located within, two they were advertising it.

Four severed legionary heads were impaled upon jaggedly forged metal spikes, Legion red decorating each one's neck to indentifying them. The Courier paused at the sight, he had remembered seeing such things along the outskirts of cottonwood cove, and apparently the NCR was just as willing to send a message as the Legion when it came to territory.

Hand on his pistol still snugly located within its holster the Courier continued his advance, he didn't spy any Rangers offhandedly but he knew that he would encounter at least a few on patrol near or around the camp and thus he would be ready.

Just when he was just short of twenty or so yards from the came, the first shot rang out to his left, the bullet burying it self in the dirt less then a foot away from him. The Courier spun around, his pistol coming free of its holster as he leveled it in the general direction his perception was telling him the shot came from. He was honestly surprised the ranger had managed to sneak up on him and not only that but attempt to kill him with out him even being aware of where he was.

However he saw nothing in the early morning light, the rays of the sun casting shadows all across the area. Another shot rang out, this time he was hit, dead center, chest shot center mass and the slug sent him sprawling. However he wouldn't be injured with at least attempting to kill his attacker.

He fired into the cliffs overlooking the camp, it was stupid and short sided considering he could be trading one opponent for multiple opponents but he wouldn't got his grave with out at least drawing and firing his gun! It would be embarrassing for the Hero of the Mojave, the Veteran mercenary of the Legion and beyond tarnishing his reputation, he also didn't want to give those motherfuckers that satisfaction.

His gun clicked empty as he slowly rose to his feet his hand sliding automatically to eject the spent clip and load another in its place, he knew now that he was likely dealing with an opponent who possessed a stealth boy, a bit of prewar technology favored by the Super mutant variant called "Nightkin", He had also saw some Legion assassination units using them, but he had never saw any within the NCR possessing them.

Well apparently they did possess them.

He heard shouts of alarm and commotion coming from the camp, he knew that more rangers were on the way, He knew that until he dealt with the invisible sniper he would continue to take potshots on him so he had an idea to level the playing field so to speak.

He holstered his pistol and dug into his Duster just as another round smacked into the dirt near him, he didn't pay it any mind, his focus was entirely diverted between the approaching sounds of NCR reinforcements and dealing with this invisible asshole.

He found what he was looking for within the webbing of the duster, just as another round impacted right into his center mass once again, the additional trauma almost made him double over but he fought through the agony and pulled the grenade from the interior of the duster before ripping the safety pin from it and hurling as far into the cliff as his arm could carry it.

He heard a nearly muted curse before the explosion rang out, the detonating explosive propelled shrapnel and fragments of debris through out the area of effect, He doubted he had killed the sniper but if he had been close enough then the bastard was now sucking on air through a missing nose courtesy of a bit of flying steel.

His hand went to his back holster just as he saw the incoming NCR rangers charging around the bend, upon seeing him that immediately leveled their weapons and fired at him, he was struck a few times but none of the wounds were lethal nor within vital area's and due to their astonishment at that fact he had time to pull his subgun free and fire a prolonged burst into their ranks.

The stacked ammunition magazine was drained, but the two rangers that had come to reinforce the sniper were dead.

Cut down the fire of his lovely toy.

But despite being done dealing with this minor annoyance he still had to level the place and kill every one.

**Time to get to work**.

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**Four days Later**

**February 11th 2282**

**In Route to the Assault on Camp Golf**

The Army in transit, He had scarcely made it back to Vegas before he had been informed by messenger that the Legion was preparing to move out and that Lord Caesar commanded he go with it to assist it in the battle. He had scarcely the time to rearm and equip himself for combat upon before the Legion set out the following morn for battle.

In shadow of Vegas at a pre war resort the Legion and NCR met once again in battle, Caesar himself sat in command of the battle, commanding more then eight hundred legionaries or two Cohorts. Among those was the newly named R'Sin also known as the Courier.

Camp Golf had become the newest battleground of the closing war between the NCR and forces of Caesar's Legion. The NCR had mined the roads approaching the Resort before the Legion had begun its march towards Golf, But even as Legionaries fell before even reaching the location, They continued marching.

As the morning sun rose higher and higher into the sky the Legion continued its march, two Cohorts had been dispatched to reduce this NCR strongpoint to rubble and by noon of the day they had set out they had encircled the perimeter of Camp Golf.

The Legion was unbreakable, disciplined and strong; This culture of war and conquest had made them such and with the final test of the NCR awaiting them, they left their dead where they fell. Arriving at what was to be the battlefield was a solemn event, the Assembled Legionaries gazed down at their prize.

The collection of tents resembling a shantytown at the base of the resort, gave the location a look of desperation. Caesar stood within his Praetorian guard. Walls of Flesh and blood guarding his body with their own staring at the strongpoint, Hanlon was within and if the roads were any indicator he knew they were coming.

The plan of battle would be simple, use the Legion superior numbers and position to overwhelm the NCR defenders. The strategy would hinge on using waves of increasingly more skilled and better armed Legionaries. The first wave would consist of entirely recuirt legionaries, raw novices not yet blooded in battle, following that Veterans of the Mojave campaign would be given their chance, after that it would be made up of the Veterans of the Legions prior conquests. The Elite vanguard of the Legion, The Courier was expected to assist within the battle but only after Caesar gave him word to do so.

"I don't want to lose you to a lucky shot in the first wave." He responded when questioned by the Courier as to why he would be sitting out the majority of the battle.

The first wave was sent out only to be met by sniper and machine gun fire from the sentry towers overlooking the approach from the road, the advance was halted and then bogged down as Legionaries dove for cover and returned fire, Thus the advance was stalled. However the towers weren't the only subject of concern, the NCR had clearly been expecting the assault if the lines of Troopers, Rangers, Power armored forces and more were any indicator, this was the strongest point perhaps besides McCarran they had left in the Mojave and it wouldn't be surrendered with out a fight.

The Legion continued its peppering assault, attempting to charge, attempting to break fast the defenses. But the NCR fire continued to rain down upon them, Legionary after Legionary fell and while they were merely recruits each and every legionary was willing to give their lives for their cause and their lord.

The Brutal combat continued, Legionaries fell, the Towers continued to rain down fire from below and the lines began to crumble, The first wave had almost been entirely decimated to a man with out even scratching the NCR's own men. The two watch towers continued to fire and kill, the scant return fire from the Legion occasionally downing a trooper or ranger only for the fire to resume before they could make any more then a token advancement.

However the Legion had come prepared as well, Brahmin driven carts were arriving along with the Legionaries, Within them came the tools needed to crack open this fortress, Missile Launchers, Grenade Launchers, Other explosives and within one cart was the very Howitzer that had demolished the NCR snipers during the battle of Hoover dam.

As the Legionaries dug in to besiege the NCR encampment, The NCR didn't send its own forays against them, They were playing this part the Courier already knew. They didn't have the numbers needed to beat off the Legion in a direct battle so they would slowly bleed them dry and hope for the best, The Courier stared down at the raging battlefield below and knew they wouldn't succeed.

With the first wave defeated the NCR waited, seeing the reaction it would garner from the Legion when it didn't come immediately no doubt it was a shock. Given the Legion was more suited to rapidly taking locations then besieging them, but as the Legion crews assembled the Howitzer and prepared loading ammunition into it Veteran Legionaries atop a nearby ridge began firing missiles and rockets down upon the entrenched NCR forces.

One Watch Tower shattered under an impact from several missiles and it fell to the ground below a flaming heap, after this battle no doubt the Legion would need to secure more armament, luckily for them the Gun Runners factory was right within the outskirts of Vegas. With a Weapons plant that close, they could perhaps begin constructing their own weapons, not merely relying upon captured or seize weapons.

The bombardment continued and wouldn't let up, the second tower fell as well to rockets and missiles barraging it, However now the Howitzer joined in with the rocket fire, Shaking the very ground beneath the power of its shells as larges clumps of earth were sent into the sky as the artillery piece found its range.

The Ground shock from the impact of the artillery shells, Camp Golf was burning but still the NCR held to it and fought back viciously. Sniper Fire, Machine Gun fire, Missile and Rocket fire, all were being thrown to hold back the Legion. The Legion in turn gave them NCR their full attention.

More Artillery fire, Rifle fire, Throwing Spears, Grenades, All were given to the NCR as the Legionaries continued their charge. The second wave continued its advance, meeting heavy resistance as the NCR firing lines reformed underneath the heavy power armored infantry and veteran rangers who again turned their fire against the advancing tide of red and crimson clad warriors. Miniguns, bush guns and trail carbines stalled the second Legion offensive but the NCR lines were struggling to keep up with the sheer number of the advancing red horde.

Caesar himself had exited the field had returned to the Command Tent he had ordered constructed overlooking the battlefield, His veteran centurions directing their men in his stead, The Legion was a beast of many heads after all, many capable commanders existed within it even if the Lord of it was the best of them.

The Courier continued to stare down at the mire the battlefield had become, Artillery continued to bombard the camp and fortifications but that rain of fire would soon be coming to an end of the infrequency of the shots was anything to go by, No doubt Howitzer ammunition was rare, and firing the barrage to level the prewar resort had taken several volleys.

The Centurions ordered the third wave in, The Veteran campaigners of the Legion let out a savage war cry as they descended the overlook and took to the battle, these were among the best armored and armored of the Legion, The prior novices weren't masters of Legion warfare like these men now advancing on them were.

The Battle rapidly escalated with the new additions, Legion Machete and rifle rounds removed NCR heads, Explosions shook the ground on both sides as the NCR occasionally returned fire on the advancing Legion positions with Missiles and Grenades. NCR bullets riddled Legion bodies as they fell back. But the outcome was now decided, the NCR couldn't maintain its own defensive lines any further.

Finally the NCR lines began to falter and then fall as Veteran Legionaries within the second and third wave breached the line. Vulpes approached the Courier as he gazed down at the battle below, occasionally taking on a drag on his smoldering cigarette.

"Lord Caesar gives you leave to engage in the battle." Was his smile response to the unasked question.

The Courier gave a brief not before flicking the cigarette from his lips gathering up his rifle and blade, He had forgone his traditional 12.7 Submachine gun in favor of a Assault Carbine for the assault, but he also bore his favored close quarters Melee weapon, an authentic Katana that he had painstakingly recreated with an authentic blade, sheath and hand guard.

With out another word being spoken by either man the Courier began to make his way down the hill towards the battle raging below.

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The Fighting had been raging for a good two hours before he had been given leave to join the fray, The Courier while anxious to end this battle remained fairly aloof of the combat it self, As he waded down into the former resort grounds passing fallen NCR and Legion alike as he strolled into the blood soaked ground of the former golf course.

The battle was in it's lull, the Courier knew it and he knew Caesar knew it that was why he was being given leave to join it now, He was to "Finish" the job so to speak. The burning resort house on the hill continued to leak toxic looking black fumes and smoke from it as the NCR continued to fall back, Most of the troopers having fallen during the various Legion pushes only the hardened and more deadly veterans remained.

At least the survivors would prove an adequate challenge, the Courier thought musingly to himself as he raised his assault carbine at the nearest Ranger, who was busy avoiding getting decapitated by a Centurion's Machete Gladius by ducking to avoid the pointed gauntlet's blow, the Courier squared the man down his sights and fired a rapid burst of ammunition, the rounds struck true and the Ranger collapsed. Why the Patrol Rangers thought a vest was sufficient armor for a soldier was beyond him.

Occasionally he encountered singular or multiple opponents to engage him, but for the most part the surviving NCR soldiers were hard pressed to keep the normal Legion forces at bay, That was until the Legion reached the collection of tents or rather the flaming remains of them, Flashes of light announced the detonation of preplaced explosives that decimated the advancing Legion lines.

Flashes of Boulder city, Another trap by Hanlon while this was overall far less impressive and destructive it still forced both the Courier and Legion to cease their advance, while the NCR regrouped to prepare for what was likely to be their final stand.

There would be no surrender here, no peaceful turning over the garrison to the victor, The NCR was prepared to hold this location to their last.

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Well there you have it chapter five!

See you all next time for the conclusion of the battle of camp golf!

Feel free to follow and review!


	6. Edge of Victory

AN: I do not own Fallout or any of its respective products

Well folks here we are chapter six! The battle of Camp Golf continues and an old face is encountered by the Courier!

Oh and for those not aware please sign the petition to end SOPA 2014, every signature counts! I personally like being able to read and publish fanfiction!

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Camp Golf

He felt nothing, he saw nothing and he was aware of nothing, the darkness of space floated about him. He was within the endless void with out even of the brightness of stars to warm it, as if he was dead…That thought lingered hungrily for a moment but he dismissed it, He wasn't dead, he still had too much to do left in the world to die…but surely Benny thought the same, Oliver thought the same and they were dead as surely as the sun set.

Blackness, it was almost soothing to him, the infinite darkness gave him a strange sense of both foreboding and contentment, he had been much of his life in the light, marching from one cause to another. But that had all changed, he had been shot twice, He sought revenge, answers and the reasoning of why it occurred, he had killed and bled his way to the answers.

Growing stronger and stronger all the while, the Mojave had reforged him into what he was, the man he had been, and the man whom the others had known was gone now. He wasn't broken, he was remade. He had found himself among those that would be his Brothers, and he had laid low a Nation for them, killed its soldiers, sabotaged its interests and led their mortal enemies to victory.

But the war hadn't been won yet, the fighting and killing continued, this culture was based on war and he knew not if it could settle into peace or no. As he floated aimless through the infinite void, he occasionally heard whispers, slivers of conversation, statements, some of ghosts long past, some of people he knew still lived and some he had never heard before. But one voice rang above them all, it commanded it, directed him. It was soft and feminine but had an undeniable edge of authority behind it.

"Wake up." It commanded of him.

"Wake up." It repeated, the dogma was driven again and again before it was finally all he could here, the Void became an endless repetition of those words.

"WAKE UP." It screeched at him.

As he was shook back to consciousness by the constant rattling and bursts of gunfire. He became aware of himself being amidst the burning wreckage of the camp, he didn't recall being in the midst of the detonations as they occurred but perhaps the NCR had buried some explosives beneath the ground?

He felt disorientated and weak but he was alive and fairly sure he was still within one piece, his flesh felt marred and charred, and he was numb to the blood dribbling from several small wounds, but he knew his artificial heart continued to beat. He hacked and coughed and wiped the dribbling blood away from his split lip as he opened his eyes and they were immediately stung with heated air and smoke.

Fire and smoke, it was all that he could see, Fire had purged the corruption from the bodies of the Legion dead, it had been let loose upon the wasteland in honor of Caesar's Victory, but now it was everywhere. Explosions occasionally still rattled off. Showered by blankets of gunfire as the Courier rose to his feet he noticed that several of the Legion were doing the same but many more apparently who had been caught up in the explosion were in the bloody mud.

Some were missing limbs, some were in chunks and a few who were still clinging to life couldn't do anything more then call for aid or howl in pain, Hanlon had denied this men a honorable death. He had cost the Legion more dearly then the Courier suspected even Caesar had expected from the token forces Vulpes had reported still housed within Golf.

The explosions that had decimated the Legions advance line and had stalled their continued advance had resulted in flames that burned through the remnants of the NCR camp. No doubt this was all part of Hanlon's plan, the NCR leading the Legion into the camps before blowing it apart and stalling them out while they prepared for a counter attack. The wall of fire stalled the Legion advance but the NCR fire didn't let up, the sniper and rifle fire continued to barrel into the Legions lines, what had once been a mere mop up was once again a battle. Except the NCR were keeping their distance, the trap had been sprung, the Courier spun about and began to sprint for the nearest cover just as Veteran Legionary whom he had been less then four feet away head was separated from his shoulders.

Snipers engaging from hidden nooks of the resort, and the grounds next to it rained down their sniper, It was much to far for his assault rifle, and even if it was given the flames and smoke he doubted he could fire accurately even with his enhanced perception and vision.

The flaming camp became a nightmarish battleground, a scene from Joshua's Hell, no doubt. He took refuge behind a flaming collection of crates and cradled his assault rifle as he scanned the area for targets as the Legionaries continued to be swatted down by Sniper fire all around him, He didn't even see the Snipers anymore, no doubt they were engaging from long range but the accuracy didn't leave much speculation left to suspect, Only a handful in the NCR could shoot this well and from such distance after all.

It was first recon, he would bet his life on it, last he had heard they were stationed at McCarran since Forlorn hope had fallen but apparently they had made the trek this battle and were now killing the men of the Legion as if they were ants beneath a magnifying scope. He didn't possess the arms to combat them from extreme distance and given they were capable of supposedly engaging men up to seven hundred yards away, He knew he would either need to direct barrages of fire upon them or close the distance and kill them up close.

Either way he would need to act now.

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He pushed himself from the cover running through the flaming collection of tents, Legionaries around him continue to fall, Sniper fire continued to rain down swatting out life left and right, As he neared the edge of the flaming ruins however and the approach to the resort it self, More over NCR forces made themselves known. Power armored troops and NCR rangers began to funnel outwards, raising trail carbines and light machine guns before opening fire upon the advancing Courier, he returned fire with his own Assault Carbine but he knew even his advanced body would be cut down in a hail of bullets he tried to shoot it out with the best of the NCR with out Cover, but given that the flaming collection of tents were all that remained from here to the highwall the NCR were using as a focal point for their firing outward in the collection of Legionaries there wasn't much he could besides continue to run forward, firing, reloading and running.

His rounds were bouncing off and not penetrating the thick armor of the power armor and the Rangers continued to use the thick old concrete of the wall for cover as he advanced. His tattered and worn duster continued to flow behind him as he ran, the thick cloth while not premium armoring several times it kept rounds from impacting his flesh, He would push to the wall, he would break this little defensive line and then he would kill those damn snipers.

He loaded in a magazine of armor piercing .5mm rounds and let the gun loose a frenzy of penetrating slugs as he continued his advance, the gun quickly drained it self and he reloaded the assault rifle, his charge never faltering as he worked the gun expertly, the recipients of his shower of lead including the power armored forces recoiled under the ferocity, and by the time they had manage to recover the courier was nearly upon them.

They turned about raising their assorted weaponry and bring it to bear, and with a guttural war cry the Courier charged, flinging the assault carbine across his shoulder, the sling snapping back and keeping the gun in back as he drew his Katana the sharpened length of folded steel gleamed in the firelight as the Courier drew it from the bamboo sheath and the warrior charged, The powered armored infantry men stepped forward swinging his machine gun like a cudgel intent on crushing the Courier's skull.

The Courier let the wood and metal of the gun slide against the blade of the Katana before edging forward and allowing the NCR soldier to overextend himself as he recovered from the blocking of his initial attack, the Courier moved into strike lunging the thin blade of the katana squarely through the deadened power armor's central chest piece, the metal made a squeal as it made contact with the katana before the blade penetrating a shuddering gasp escaped the helmet as the blade entered the flesh of the man.

Blood began to flow from the wound, staining the Katana in the liquid crimson of the NCR, The Powered Armored Trooper struggled weakly, attempting to backtrack, to dig the blade out, but every time he so much as moved the Courier slightly adjust the blade within him widening the entry wound, pushing the blade deeper. The Power helmet blocked the visage of his opponent but from the pant gasps and wheezing he knew the man was in immense pain.

He didn't know if he had struck a lethal spot or was merely caught in the flesh beneath the armoring but he wouldn't leave anything to chance, he shoved the blade deeper, the katana slowly sinking in, inch by lethal inch before hearing a sickening crack as bone or muscle snapped in twine under the force of the Katana blade, the bleeding around the one intensified for a moment and then slowed. The Courier withdrew the blade and the Power armored soldier whom had been slouching by this point collapsed to the dusty, bloody ground below.

The Veteran and Patrol rangers whom had not be firing for fear of striking their comrade let loose their own barrage of lead before the Courier hefted up the fallen corpse up by the shoulders of the power armored soldier and used it as a shield of sorts, the rounds continued to soak into the worn metal of the power armor until he heard the rounds begin to breach it and enter into the flesh of the fallen NCR soldier.

He didn't know if Legion reinforcements were coming anytime soon so he couldn't just sit there and wait for one ranger to get a lucky shot at his head, he would have to move.

So spattered with blood and gore that wasn't his own he sheathed his Katana and drew his 10mm pistol and shoved the corpse forward, as he began running at the Rangers, whom were momentarily caught off guard the straight forward assault as he began peppering them with rounds from the pistol, unloading the spent magazine as he loaded a fresh one and continued to fire.

As the power armor clad corpse toppled the patrol ranger who had leveled his trail carbine staggered back as a round entered into his skull and he was sent reeling to the ground. The other Ranger let loose a burst with his own bolt action Carbine as the Courier charged forward, he felt a round impact into his stomach but he kept firing even as the Ranger staggered back, holes oozing across his chest before falling his knee's. He emptied the clip into the man before he turned his eyes across the burning resort in front of him.

The Resort had taken a few direct hits from the Howitzer and it showed, flames and smoke escaped from several impact craters splintered across the structure, and yet more sniper fire came from its windows and atop its roof. Clearly despite the interior of the structure taking some damage from the assault the NCR was maintaining the structure as their strongpoint during this siege, even now the regrouping NCR forces were making a slow withdrawal to the resort firing their guns all the way.

Some NCR were holding back though, standing their ground against the rapidly reforming tide of Legionaries, Power Armored forces met Gleaming Centurions, Veteran Rangers met Prime Legionaries and Recruit met Trooper, the battle continued. The blood flowed freely, Limbs were severed, Screams of pain silenced and the crack of flesh and bone heard even above the roaring flames that seared the dead earth.

By the time the Legion had regrouped and was beginning its fourth assault upon the resort grounds, and with out any NCR interference apart from the occasional bark of sniper fire there wouldn't be overly much to stand in their way this time, It was the time to strike, the time to end this.

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The Men with him as they entered the structure split his company, they all had their tasks to do and these were Veteran men of the Legion they could handle themselves against whatever paltry resistance that NCR could offer in this inferno.

The fires within were raging, smoke was everywhere and he could scarcely see a foot in front of his face yet it didn't interfere overly with his hearing as he heard a shell being loaded a shotgun being leveled against a shoulder.

He ducked his head just in time to avoid a blast of buckshot, the roar of the near point blank shot nearly deafening him; The thin wood paneling behind him crumpling under the attack as the Courier raised his assault carbine in the general direction of the shooter and emptying it, The NCR trooper fell back, crimson and black trailing through the air as he crumpled against the ground, a hunting shotgun lying still beside him.

Outside he could hear Legion battle cries, the sounds of men marching and the sounds of men dying, The Legion was advancing and nothing was standing in their way now, The Resort would fall within the hour. There thus had been no sign of the first recon or Hanlon within the resort but the Courier would find them, find them and kill them. Or rather find the First Recon detachment and kill them, he would bring Hanlon alive before Caesar if he could.

As the Legion lines closed upon the Resort the Courier was making his way through the burning interior, he had been within Camp Golf twice before but never had he seen it like this, the bunkroom and mention storage room both were aflame and smoke was pouring through out the building.

He scanned the smoking halls and anteroom cautiously with his Assault rifle, he wouldn't be caught off guard again, he suspected the First Recon were making their stand upon the second floor were they would have both cover and excellent field of view from the windows, not doubt other soldiers were up there but until he found Hanlon he could at least silence those snipers.

With as much care and stealth as he could muster in the flaming ruin the prewar resort was rapidly becoming he began to ascend the stairs, careful to watch both his step and surroundings as best he could. He had no desire to run blind into the NCR if he could help it. But as the Anteroom continued to flood with both smoke and flame it became more and more likely that this flaming relic would be his new tomb if he didn't finish his task soon, The rattling of rifle and machine gun fire still came so obviously the NCR hadn't abandoned the structure, not yet.

As he ascended the stairs to the ruins of the second story, he encountered yet another NCR trooper this one seemed to be in a hurry dragging an ammunition canister behind him as fast as he could, it seemed quite likely the forces working the Machine Gun had sent this man as a runner to find more ammo before they ran out and lost the tactical advantage of having an entrenched machinegun in the resort. Silently as he could the Courier leveled his rifle and aligned the sights over the back of the man's skull before pulling the trigger and letting loose a burst of automatic fire, the large rounds ripped the man's skull apart like a melon and the trooper fell to the ground dead, the flames were raging higher and higher around him the longer he lingered, he needed to finish this quickly.

With the ammunition not forth coming, no doubt the Machine Gun crew would either need send another man or cease firing all together, either way no doubt he had brought reprieve to the forces that thing had pinned down.

He scanned the two halls before deciding to take the left one, he couldn't cover both by himself and he hadn't seen the men he had come in with yet despite being the gunfire so he could presume they had encountered something that kept them distracted, he would have to clear the second floor alone, that required a different set of tactics.

As he made his way down the smoke filled hallway, the sniper fire continued to echo through out the hall, He heard muted conversations, the clinking of shell casings hitting the floor, the cracking of aged wood being strained even more by the constant heat and flames that were tracing through out the building. He shouldered his rifle and removed his 10 mm pistol from its holster and edged closer to the sounds of gunfire, he was close now, and he could even smell the reek of cordite in the air from the gunpowder.

He checked and made sure he had a round in the chamber just as he entered the room he saw the butt of a rifle soaring towards his face as a man in what appeared to be a flak jacket of some sort tried to bludgeon him. His eyes widened in surprise as he recognized the familiar face of the sharpshooter just as he side stepped the attempt at giving him a concussion. He drew back, his gun already raising to fire just as he heard a crack of a rifle and the floorboards next to his left shattered, His eyes narrowed in a glare, his nostrils flared and he stared the former companion down.

The Sunglass clad Sniper stared back at him, mouth agape slightly.

"Boone." He spat out as he leveled his pistol at the Sniper's head.

"Legion Bitch." Boone shot back as he adjusted his own fire, he still possessed the modified hunting rifle and it was leveled right at his head, he knew Boone was good enough to decapitate him with a bullet a half mile off, but they were close quarters, this was his domain.

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"Legion Bitch?" The Courier questioned aloud, his tone was speculative, but his eyes shone dangerously.

"Legion BITCH!" His voice exploded in a fury.

"Is after all this time, all you see? The NCR was a corrupting cancer in the Mojave, it needs to die! The Legion is the cleansing flame to do it!" The Courier growled out as his finger inched towards the trigger.

"You get one chance to surrender to me Boone, One Goddamn chance before I nail you to a cross like the Legion should have done to your bitch of a wife!" The Courier exploded.

"Look at what the Legion did to you! We were friends, comrades; we fought these slaving bastards together! We killed scores of them! And now…here we are, two friends staring down the barrels of each others guns." The NCR Sniper ground out, tangents weren't usually his thing so this situation was marked as highly unusual to say the least.

"The Legion did nothing to me besides open my damn eyes…" The Courier suddenly felt very tired, this day had been long, this fight and been hard and while it wasn't much of a surprise to find that Boone had rejoined his old comrades it still stung.

"One more thing Boone…Where the hell is she?" He questioned aloud, He knew Boone would pick up which of their former crew he was inferring, he hadn't seen her since the battle and he was curious…She was also his and he refused to let go.

"Don't know, I hope the hell out of this Slaver Infested Desert, Maybe back to California, Maybe North? That your still looking means she left your ass too once she realized what side you were going to back at Hoover."

"She did." He acknowledged, his tone had gone chilled and casual.

"But I will get her back, After all she belongs to me."

"The hell happened to you." Boone Muttered weakly as he stared the Courier down.

"One last chance Boone…Don't make me kill you…"

The room filled with smoke, and the heat from the flames was making the Courier sweat but he kept his pistol leveled, he didn't want to kill Boone, he was a good man, a good friend and a damn fine shot. But he wouldn't join him again, in fact he had even lived up to his pledge, the next time he saw him with the Legion he had opened fire.

There was no telling how many men of the Legion had died today by his hand, there would be no forgiveness for that.

"I'm just one more NCR soldier." Boone Responded as he took a step back, he was giving himself room to maneuver, The Courier for his part took a step towards the door and was edging towards it.

"Guess so." The Courier said with Finality as he fired, three pulls of the trigger, three rounds flying out of the barrel in quick succession as he pulled himself back into the hall to avoid Boone's return fire, he didn't even get to see if he had landed a hit or not but given that Boone was firing still, he likely was still breathing.

He stuck his gun into the door frame and fired from cover, he felt the wooden walls splinter as rounds pored into them from the Hunting rifle, but here was an advantage he had over Boone, his own handgun possessed more ammunition in the magazine then Boone's rifle, he would either need to switch weapons or reload and he would have him the moment he did that.

Just as he predicted he heard the click of the empty rifle and Boone sliding a fresh magazine in there just as he pushed himself up and into the room, Boone had taken cover behind one of the Beds but The Courier fired, he pulled and pulled the trigger, bullet after bullet tumbled around Boone, but given he wasn't stopping to aim he didn't hit the Man, As he closed the distance he dropped the weathered pistol and allowed a Bowie Knife descend from the folds of his sleeved cloak and just as Boone leveled the rifle he was upon him, Boone spun away from his initial stab and pulled his own knife from his boot as he tossed the rifle away.

A Gunfight had become a knife fight in an instant, Boone hadn't managed to blow his head off yet, this was a good thing. Boone knew he was better at close distance work, then him and he could see as the orbs of his eyes, even hidden behind his trade mark sunglasses that he was looking for potential firing lane for him to regain the advantage again.

"You should have surrendered Boone, you would have gotten a quick decapitation, now even if you live? Your going on a cross.

"Your pure fucking evil…" Boone spat as he circled the Courier, the flames were just getting more intense and even the fresh air let in by the multiple impact points from the Howitzer bombardment earlier, didn't diffuse the smoke overmuch.

"No, I just opened my damn eyes Boone."

The Courier edged in a foot forward before lunging with his blade directed at the other man's ribs, Boone's combat knife intercepted the blade and that began an earnest thrusting match, blade met blade as each man tried to skewer the other. Sparks flew as the sharpened blades met each other singing a song of steel ringing against steel, The Courier was stronger, more experienced and far more skill and ability with melee weapons then the Sniper, but Boone had received some education on the subject so he was able to keep up, for a limited time anyway.

One exchange he was a bit too slow raising his own blade to deflect the Courier's Bowie knife and the blade dug a deep gash into the flesh of the Sniper's Chest, Crimson trailed down the knife staining it with the vital essence of one who was formerly a friend.

The Sniper let out a hiss and cursed slightly as he staggered back, The Courier moved to strike again but he was caught off guard as Boone flung the Combat knife at him, The blade dug deep into the flesh of his knee and he stumbled back trying to recover, The Sniper moved for his rifle and the Courier's eyes widened.

He saw the sniper raise the rifle aimed it and fired, the slug exploded against his flesh, he smelt the burning gunpowder and the stench of burning clothing and flesh, he dropped to his knee's, he tasted blood and he knew this was to be his end.

"Cass was smart to ditch your ass." He said as a final taunt, Boone ejected the spent cartridge and it fell to the ground, clattering against the wooden flooring, just then a sudden crack distracted both men. The Resort was coming down, the sounds of collapsing walls and floors reminded them that their battlefield was a crumbling resort that had barely been stable before the Legion had blown it to holy hell.

"You better be quick Boone, Else I'll just heal and come for you again, you know about my Enchanements." The Courier reminded his former Comrade.

"Yeah…You're tough." Boone admitted as he loaded a fresh round into the chamber before aiming down the sights, he could blow his head off the Courier realized and there wasn't anything he could do about it, he didn't have any tricks for this situation…Although he did have a technique for it.

As boone moved his finger towards the Trigger the Courier outstretched his leg and twirled, the Ranger takedown caught the former First Recon sniper by surprise as he let out a high pitched curse as he tumbled and the Courier righted himself before pulling his rifle free and placing it firmly against the Sniper's chest just as he raised his own rifle up.

"An Impasse." The Courier observed.

"Seems like." Boone agreed.

There wasn't going to be a happy resolution to this, The Courier knew but he did regret having to kill a former friend, he had killed many times for the Legion, Women, Children, Slaves, NCR soldiers, but never some one he actually gave a damn about, there was hesitation there and Boone seized upon it and fired his rifle. The Round shattered into the Courier's body, his finger jerked and the assault rifle sprayed downward the 5mm rounds tearing apart the wooden flooring along with the Sniper's body, Bone slumped downward, The Courier still reeling back from the shot heard glass shattering and then he fell.

He felt the jarring impact, the pain and then blackness surrounded him the infinite void of unconsciousness, but he heard the sounds of battle around him, the collapsing of the resort, the explosions as ammunition and explosives cooked in the heat. Then he was just aware of the darkness surrounding him, he didn't know if he would awaken this time like the prior one.

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AN: Well this chapter six, Boone is dead and the battle for Camp Golf is over.

Sorry about the delays on the chapter but reality caught up to me, I hope to be able to continue this story in a more timely fashion from here on out.


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